Chapter 456: A Temporary Addition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 456: A Temporary Addition
[You have acquired the Exclusive Trait, True Word (D).]
[True Word (眞言)
Classification: Exclusive Trait
Rank: D
A secret language, true and without falsehood.]
The moment the screen appeared before my eyes, the book crumbled into dust and vanished.
All that remained was powder scattering in the air.
‘True Word?’
My surprise at it being an Exclusive Trait, not just an ordinary one, was brief.
[The Constellation, 'Dancing Destroyer', smiles with satisfaction.]
I frowned at the message that popped up as if it had been waiting.
In fact, after meeting the 'Monarch of the Underworld', I realized how much of an angel the 'Dancing Destroyer' was in comparison. He might have stared at me with an unnerving gaze, but at least he didn't call his friends over to torment me.
Still, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. A Constellation's favor doesn't always lead to positive outcomes for humans.
It's easy to understand if you think about the fate of an ant that catches a human's attention.
It's either tormented to death like a toy or becomes a spectacle in a glass box.
Of course, I planned to snatch the food the human tossed my way while still enjoying my freedom.
‘Anyway, what kind of trait is this?’
The description was still as vague as ever.
But when I closed my eyes and focused, the characters I'd seen in the book began to rush into my mind like a wave. The meanings of the letters and phrases that had been completely incomprehensible just moments ago now came to me naturally.
It was as if I had become the author of the book.
But that was all.
This book was neither a grimoire nor an ancient text filled with special knowledge.
It was simply filled with magnificent descriptions of Indian mythology, praising the gods.
One god, in particular, was mentioned so often that he took up a full forty percent of the content.
It was so blatant that I couldn't help but laugh.
“Young Master Kang.”
“Hm?”
Turning at the sound of Wi Ryeong-ah's voice, I saw her covered in blood.
Her dobok and hair were soaked crimson, but her expression was as bright as could be.
Others might have found it a bit gruesome, but because she was so beautiful, to me, she just looked like a painting.
“I've finished cleaning up the bodies.”
“That was fast, wasn't it?”
I looked around.
But there were no bodies to be seen anywhere.
“So, where are they?”
“Right here.”
She held out a fist-sized box from her robes.
“...This is?”
“A Storage Bag.”
“A Storage Bag?”
Tiring-
[Activating 'Incomplete Moon's Eye'.]
[1st Layer Storage Bag (儲物袋)
Classification: Item
Rank: C+
A pouch inscribed with subspace (亞空間) magic. The space is not completely stable, so it has weight and volume limits.]
My eyes widened as I read the item's description.
“Oh, right. You said you haven't been in the Tower for long, Young Master Kang. You're so strong I keep forgetting. This is a Magic Treasure called a Storage Bag, made by us cultivators. It's perfect for carrying your belongings. And among them, the ones from our Boundless Heaven Sect are considered the finest, you know?”
Wi Ryeong-ah said proudly, holding something out to me.
It was a small ring.
“It's my master's... no, Elder Eumjin's Storage Bag. I saved it to give to you, Young Master. I've gathered the others' Storage Bags in one place, too.”
“I'll put it to good use.”
I put on the ring with a satisfied smile.
Even though it was a 2nd Layer Storage Bag, it was a far inferior version of my inventory. Still, what I liked most was that I wouldn't have to worry about the Constellations' prying eyes every time I used my inventory.
I decided to check the contents of the Storage Bag later and headed to the room where Wi Ryeong-ah was staying.
So much had happened in one day.
Shaaaa-
Wi Ryeong-ah, who was covered in blood from cleaning up the bodies, went straight into the bathroom. Thanks to that, it felt like I was at a motel with my girlfriend.
I sat down on a chair to catch my breath and rummaged through my pocket.
An indescribably horrible texture met my fingertips.
It felt like the innards of a magical beast, yet also like the rotten eyeball of some creature.
Tiring-
[Activating 'Incomplete Moon's Eye'.]
[Flesh Piece of a Constellation
Classification: -
Rank: -
A taboo (禁忌) that must never be permitted.]
What I pulled from my pocket was none other than the remains of the 'Guide of the Underworld'.
I'd kept it just in case, but I never imagined it would be classified as an item.
‘Hmm... Unlike the Storage Bag, the classification is blank, so maybe it's not an item?’
It goes without saying, but not for a single moment did I have the insane thought of swallowing it like some elixir.
A warning echoed from the depths of my instincts that the moment I put this to my lips out of curiosity, there would be no turning back.
A lump of flesh made not from a Constellation's avatar, but from its True Body (眞體).
I couldn't even begin to guess what would happen if a human consumed it.
All that came to mind was a conclusion so terrible that even calling it 'the worst' would be an understatement.
Creeak-
“Young Master Kang?”
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Wi Ryeong-ah peeked her head out. Water dripped from her silk-like hair.
Her face was flushed, likely from being in the bathroom for so long.
“Um... I'm so sorry to ask, but could you bring me a towel? It seems we're all out...”
At her request, I smiled faintly and stood up.
After handing her the towel, I leaned my back against the bathroom door and asked a question.
“What are you going to do now?”
The elder and cultivators sent to take her back to her sect had betrayed her instead.
For Wi Ryeong-ah, the person at the center of it all, it must be more than just a difficult situation; it must be a massive headache.
“...I'm not sure. I'd like to contact my sect, but Elder Eumjin was in charge of all communications...”
“Then how about heading to the 10th floor?”
Large clans usually have clan houses throughout the Tower, and in the Boundless Heaven Sect's case, theirs was on the 10th floor.
With her skills, she should be able to reach the 10th floor on her own without much trouble.
If that didn't work out, she could always find a party.
The lower floors are always crowded with climbers, so gathering companions wouldn't be difficult.
Click-
Just then, Wi Ryeong-ah opened the bathroom door and came out.
She was wearing a normal t-shirt and dolphin shorts instead of her Chinese-style robes, which looked a little unfamiliar but suited her well.
I summoned my magic power to dry the remaining moisture from her hair.
“Whoa... Thank you. That's really convenient.”
“You'll be able to do it soon too, Miss Wi.”
We each grabbed something to drink and sat facing each other on the sofa.
There was no conversation.
I waited for her to speak first, sipping my beer. For a while, she just fidgeted, glancing at me, before finally opening her mouth cautiously.
“...Could you let me join your party?”
Just as I expected.
“May I ask why?”
“Well... the thought of partying with other people... it makes me a little worried and anxious...”
She tried to force a smile as she spoke, but she couldn't hide the shadow that fell across her face.
I understood.
Having been betrayed by someone she called master and followed, she couldn't easily form a party with strangers.
If I were her, I'd have trust issues too.
“I'm sorry, but I already have a party.”
“Oh...”
In that moment, her expression visibly darkened.
“Instead, how about coming down to the 1st floor with me?”
“...Huh?”
“I plan on breaking through the 10th floor soon to establish a clan. Circumstances have me climbing alone for now, but I have clan members who have agreed to join me. I'm scheduled to return to the 1st floor tomorrow to climb the Tower again with them.”
At first, I planned to climb to the 10th floor by myself.
I thought it was important to meet the clan establishment conditions as quickly as possible.
But my thoughts changed after taking the 5th-floor test.
The fact that a Constellation's avatar appeared during a lower-floor test was enough to put me on high alert.
The Administrator explained it was the Tower's deterrent to keep Elder Eumjin of the Boundless Heaven Sect in check, but I wasn't convinced.
“It will take some time. I have to help my clan members train for a while, and I have my own personal matters to attend to. We might not reach the 10th floor for a month, maybe even two.”
“That's fine.”
Wi Ryeong-ah nodded without a hint of hesitation.
“They won't kick me out of the sect for being a little late. Besides, as they say, haste makes waste (欲速不達). I don't want to rush and end up taking the long way around.”
“I like your decisiveness.”
I held out my hand.
She took my hand, her smile much more relaxed than before.
“Let me introduce myself again. I'm Kang Hyun-woo, twenty-one years old. My ideal type is a pretty woman with a big... heart. No, a kind heart. I look forward to working with you for the time being.”
“I'm Wi Ryeong-ah of the Jemunwi Family (除文魏家). Looks like I'm a year older than you.”
Her eyes curved into a lovely smile at my introduction.
“I look forward to working with you, too.”
*
The next morning.
I returned to the 1st floor with Wi Ryeong-ah through the city's floor-transfer portal.
The streets of Arca were still bustling with people. In terms of population density, it seemed even worse than Seoul.
I crossed the street and headed for the clan house located in the commercial district.
The remodeling must have finished while I was away, because the building in the distance looked quite different from before.
“Wow... You already have a clan house? And in Arca's commercial district, no less?”
“Well, something like that.”
Wi Ryeong-ah's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
It made sense. On Earth, it would be like a college student owning a building in Gangnam, so of course she'd be surprised.
Just as we were getting closer to the clan house, the door opened and Lucifer walked out.
She looked like she'd just come out to get the newspaper. Still half-asleep, she yawned and stretched, looking impossibly cute.
“Lucy!”
When I called her alias, her head snapped around, and our eyes met.
Surprise, joy, and then confusion flickered across her purple eyes.
Overjoyed, I waved and ran toward her. Lucifer glanced back and forth between me and Wi Ryeong-ah, then started running toward us.
It was a reunion straight out of a movie.
But as the distance between us closed, a strange sense of unease crept in.
Her tense expression, her fists clenched so tightly the veins popped, and even the faint killing intent I could feel.
Only then did I turn to run.
But Lucifer was a step faster.
“Where do you think you're going?”
Shudder-
In the end, I was caught by Lucifer and dragged to an interrogation room in the clan house basement—a room I had no idea even existed—under the ridiculous accusation of picking up and bringing home a strange woman.